Piazza San Pietro

Having spent most of our day exploring the many halls in the Vatican Museums, we spent the remaining daylight at St. Peter's Square, otherwise known as Piazza San Pietro in Italian. The faint glow of the setting sun and a thin crowd in the piazza made a perfect welcome for us. And we badly needed this respite for we had been battling crowds since the start of our day.

Although the almost empty piazza means that there's no event nor the Pope was there for a mass. It was a Friday and the Papal Audience is only held on Wednesdays and sometimes, an Angelus on Sundays. Perhaps, a good reason to come back?

In getting to the entrance of the piazza, we made our exit from the Vatican Museums and circumnavigated the Vatican's walls in order to reach this gate. There is a shortcut from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's Basilica for tour groups and I think, we had no idea about this and that's why, tagging along had not come to mind. lol

A young Filipino man whom we met in the piazza, volunteered to take our photo, which made me realize that my cousin and I only had a very few number of photos together. The man was in the look out for kababayans as he was trying to promote a souvenir shop, where he works part-time. The shop is easy to spot as it's the only one with a Philippine flag, so he said.

Not keen on souvenirs just yet, we proceeded to St. Peter's Basilica, passing along yellow barriers that were not in much use because of the lack of crowds. Yeah! And this lonesome Swiss Guard guarding the doorway. I think people are not supposed to go inside there.

Notice the balcony in the middle of the basilica? That's where the Pope stands to address the crowds. We had no choice but to only imagine that time.

With the immense size of the piazza, it looks deserted from the basilica's viewpoint, creating a perspective of ant-size people further ahead. The tall structure in the middle is the obelisk, which is originally from Egypt and was moved to Rome by Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. It was only in 1586 that it was transferred to St. Peter's Square, by the order of Pope Sixtus V.

Okay enough of history, let's take a look at the astounding and jaw-dropping interiors of the massive St. Peter's Basilica.

I wish I had a better camera or even just good editing skills, so that I can give justice to this profound  beauty. But unfortunately, I can only come up with these.

Upon entering the basilica, I felt so much awe that I was left speechless for a moment. I initially thought that it was something that I have been used to, after seeing impressive churches in the previous days, but it was not. It certainly deserves to sit high up on the pedestal.

The present basilica was constructed during the Renaissance period and one of its designers was Michelangelo. It is named after St. Peter because it is said to be that the first Pope of the Catholic religion was buried beneath it. So, it becomes the burial ground of some deceased Popes as well. And in this century, Pope John Paul II had his interment here in 2005.

After trying to take it all in, we went out of the basilica and found out that it was already nighttime. No doubt that you can easily spend hours and hours inside the basilica.

Then, we came across this Swiss Guard who became an instant celebrity, with many cameras zooming in his direction. Mine included!

Another worthy of a lot of photos was the glorious full moon. It made the night looked very serene and dramatic. And now, it's time for souvenirs.

If you would also like to experience this kind of relaxing visit, head over to St. Peter's Square late in the afternoon. We visited in mid-October.

But I think experiencing the Papal Audience is a different and great idea altogether. Yes, next time.